


Stay Moving

by Omicron_The_IceQueen



Category: Spider-Man - All Media Types, Venom (Comics)
Genre: F/M, Mutants, Other, Symbiote affection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-19
Updated: 2014-03-16
Packaged: 2018-01-09 05:41:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1142135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Omicron_The_IceQueen/pseuds/Omicron_The_IceQueen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was bound to happen, the symbiote bonded to Eddie Brock has set it's 'eyes' one some one. And it wants her. Eddie is incline to agree, and Venom has a new challenge. Question is, can she like him? ALL of him?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue Tid-Bit

“Normal spoken dialog,”

“ ** _Vemon’s spoken dialog,_** ”

:: _radio dialog,_ ::

~ _Eddie’s bonded dialog,_ ~

~ **Vemon’s** **bonded dialog,** ~

 

* * *

It had been a nice night, and a very good date that happened really. The moon could have been full to add to the ‘mood’ (or the dramatic effect in the current moment) instead of being less than half ‘empty,’ but it still gave off light even in the city. Coupled with that dim light, as well as what the nearest streetlamps were giving off, that light flooded the otherwise dark living room of an apartment like place that rested above a warehouse.

Cassidy shook her head, trying to wrap it around what her date had just told her. She had just thought he was a mutant, like her and her sister not… not… really? Just, _really_? He was the city’s boogie-man--?

“Cassy?” His voice sounded different, he was worried. About what though?

 _Hah, you know what about_ , she thought and sighed. “Eddie?” the woman turned back to the taller, well-muscled man and stretched out her other sense, the part of her that was mutated. Her empathy.

Brock’s strong presence was there, and another, something that she had originally thought was his own mutation but now that she knew… Cassidy ‘looked’ more carefully, below Eddie's emotions to that other side of him. It was similar to human emotion, yet it wasn’t. It was, quite actually, alien in shape and ‘color.’ But despite that she could still distinguish emotions: caution, concerned, hope, anxiety, lust, rage, triumph, abandoned, torn, uncertain, heated, hostile, incensed, indignant, hesitant…

Her eyes had un-focused as she did this, almost absorbed with a strange fascination with the conflicting emotions that somehow all blended into one (and that was just one half!), so when Eddie lightly touched her arm she jumped sending a spike of surprise though the building, it affected him partly but that other part of Eddie was quicker to recover and ‘came back’ at her senses too fast. Cassidy backed up away from the man lifting a hand to her head, wincing.

“We won’t hurt you Cassy,” Eddie said, firmly pushing back his other, he didn’t want to scare her.

 _~_ **We think it’s too late for that...** _~_ the symbiotic alien bonded to Eddie sounded as ‘meek’ as it ever had been, or could have be.

Eddie tried not to groan, ~ _What did you do this time?~_

Cassidy closed her eyes and turned in a slow cercal, a nervous habit that she had picked up from her mother in her childhood and never seemed to get ride of. Taking a deep breath she stopped, aware that Brock and the other mind inside of him were now behind her.

“Cas--”

She cut him off, “Promise?”

Eddie blinked, in the back of his mind his other did its own version of blinking. Stepping up behind her he rested his hands Cassidy’s shoulders, “We promise, _I_ promise, we won’t hurt you.” He paused and added, “Or Cayce.”

She tensed automatically before the woman extended her senses, feeling his emotions and was grateful to find sincerity there, even that other presence was backing up what Brock was saying for them both. Taking another deep breath to steady herself as she put one of her own hands on Eddie’s she asked, wondering if it was a smart thing to do. “Can I… may I see your other then?”

“Yes, my other has been wanting to see you for some time.” Eddie squeezed her shoulders reassuringly, pulling his girl closer, “Just remember that we won’t hurt you, despite how we look.”

“…okay.”

She felt him step back, his fingers lingering a moment then something changed. That other thing… alien… symbiote, it became more dominant, stronger. Cassidy sucked in her breath, trying to map out what she was picking up in her head, and wondering if Eddie was still there… yes, _there_ he was, to the background but she could still sense him there, yet he was different…

“ ** _Preeeetty._** ”

Cassidy couldn’t help the shiver that ran down her back at the new and very, very, _very_ creepy voice behind her. The voice was humanlike but that was where the similarity seemed to end. Yet there was something…else…about it, _in_ it that stripped away almost all humanity and feeling. An inward-echo of sorts, a reverberation of two voices interweaving together and yet somehow separated at the same time.

As she took in just the voice alone the presence behind her grew, both in a physical sense and something else she couldn’t place. The woman swallowed, hard, and gathered her scattering nerves and turned around before she could think too much about what she’d gotten herself into. Cassidy’s empathy, wits and just about everything else all did a nose dive into the nearest bottomless pit leaving her numb and, yes, quite afraid at what she saw.

A hulking black mass that moved fluidly, rippling with near bulging muscles and towering above the stunned woman. Cassidy stood a good five and a half feet, almost a full foot shorter than Eddie, but the empath barely cleared this creature’s _middle_. Despite some resemblance, the creature was as much inhuman as it was human. Solid white eyes stared back at her and a tong that was far too long slid through jagged teeth. Eddie Brock had completely disappeared. Only Venom stood in front of Cassidy.

“ ** _Even afraid you’re still pretty,_** ” Venom said taking a step forward, reaching out with a powerful hand, one that could and _had_ killed so many. He was amused when his chosen’s chosen rocked back on her heels but couldn’t get her mind, or more importantly her legs, to work properly, “ ** _But you don’t need to fear us, our little one._** ”

Cassidy tensed and watched the clawed hand near her face, and she learned the hard way that her automatic, empathic ways of defending herself (bombarding her assailant with an overload of emotions), didn’t work when she was scared and over whelmed like this. Her own fear canceling out her mutation’s power.

With shocking tenderness Venom terraced the back of an ebony talon from the woman’s cheek bone to her chin, back up the jaw line and behind her ear; the other claws light brushing her neck so Cassidy twitched at the ticklish sensation. Venom chuckled, a rumbling that came from somewhere deep in his chest and Cassidy could feel the vibration though his hand as he carefully pushed his talons through her hair.

This was beyond the term of ‘weird’…

Venom knelt, bringing his head lower to her level and, after pulling his horrendous tong back into his jaws, he pressed his head to Cassidy’s. His other hand wrapping around her waist to keep her in place, for running, “ ** _Our other half was right, we won’t hurt you our love._** ”

Somewhere in the far back of Cassidy’s mind she was glad her little sister was spending the night with friends and couldn’t--

 _Wait a minute!_ The empath blinked. Did he just say ‘our love?’ _Love_...?

Her empathy snapped back ‘on’ then and the woman would have fallen over if Venom wasn’t still holding her. The symbiote dragged the empath’s other sense’s complete attention to him so their world narrowed down to not the warehouse, not the apartment or the room. It was just the two of them, Venom purred as he knelt, wrapping his arms around Cassidy.

And he didn’t drool this time.


	2. The McConnell Sisters

The spring sun poured through the semi small windows of an apartment sitting quiet snugly on top of a small warehouse building, one for a relatively tiny chain of coffee houses base in Los Angelus. It wasn’t the biggest residence in town, over half of the rooms were stuffed with varies items in storage waiting for this holiday or that special event to roll along. As well as dry goods for the linked bakery. Those rooms and walk ways above the main warehouse were still mostly clear, were used for actual daily living; a bathroom with tub and shower, two small bed rooms with only one regularly used from sleeping in (the other doubling as both gust room and play room). The last, and largest, room had taken the roles of kitchen, dining and living room all in one. There were also two staircases, one going down to the inside of the lower warehouse, and the other up to the roof.  
  
The furnishing weren’t the most up-to-date in fashion, but they got the job done nicely. A massive, and slightly worn, couch was against a wall facing a fair sized tv and wide bay like window that had a spectacular view of the side of the next warehouse over. A smaller, slightly newer, love seat was at an angle, so it faced the tv as well and the kitchen. Those who lived there, as well as anyone visiting, tended to fight over this comfortable mini-couch. Some small home made coffee tables out of long, low wooden crates were here and there to fill up some space so it wasn’t so empty looking, but no real dining table. There was a computer desk with a closed laptop on in, that desk could be used as a table for the two sister living there sometimes with water cup rings in the old thing.

The kitchen was mostly one long counter with only a sink breaking it in the middle. A somewhat old, yet well working frigid had long ago taken up residence in the gap between the counter and the door to the roof. The fridge’s counter part, the freezer, was smaller and illegally parked under the counter beside a cupboard, filled with off brand pop tarts, cereal, cans of different brands of soup, and a ton or two of multiple colored sport drinks.

The game room had a twin bed on one side, covered with Land Before Time bed sheets and blankets, innocent dinosaurs smiling brightly and playing across the fabric. A smaller tv with a game console hocked up to it was sitting on a bag flour. An assorted, semi-neat, pile of games was beside the tf threatening to fall over if a fruit fly, or a little too much dust settled on it. Other then some controllers spread across the floor, there wasn’t anything overly amazing about it.

The one other room, though tiny bit larger bya dozen square, wasn’t anymore dazzling about it; but there was a king size bed, it’s tan sheets and two brown comforters messed up in the way bedding tends to get after restless sisters have a sleepover and movie night on the big bed. Three dressers half stuffed with clothes for the sisters were shoved to the side. One of the dressers, with another fair size T.V. on it and a X-box beside it, was only used to store what few things the McConnell sisters had left of their deceased parents, mostly their father’s old shirts and such.

The older of the two remaining McConnells was an assistant manager in one of Miss Thelma’s, the owner of the five Coffee Places, was all ready up and getting a lunch ready for her younger sister.

Cassidy was more leg then anything, not top heavy with a chest size on the smaller scale of average. She had short, light brown hair that was messed up and sticking up every which way, signaling that she had gotten up not very long ago. Probably with in the last five minutes. Green eyes blinked at what little was inside the fridge when she made it out, making a note to go shopping later, Cassidy snagged two things of yogurt, one for her now and another for Cayce’s lunch.

“Yaaahhhmp… to early…” Cassidy complained while yawning, plopping the two small yogurts on the counter she started to hunt around the living room for her sister’s lunch pack. Sometimes such and action was an adventure in and of its self. Finding it, the woman dropped it beside the containers and started to actually getting the lunch together.

Five minuets later the top of the lunch pack was zipped shut and the whole thing shoved back into the fridge to keep cool. “Six thirty…” she blinked at the clock on the microwave, “…eight a.m. is to damn early in the morning.” she informed the wall behind the sink. Just in case it didn’t know this fact.

“TAG, Sissy!” a little voice called from behind the empath.

Cassidy winced, glared at the wall as if it should have told her that her sister was now awake too, “Sorry Case’. My wallet is by the computer.” She said, waving back at her perse.

“Five doll-er?” the young girl asked hopefully as she pulled her older sisters jacket up over her head.

“No Sissy. You know the deal, one dollar.” Cassidy sighed, wonder why her sister was up this early, “Want eggs for breakfast?”

“Yes, yes please!” Cayce wandered over to the desk and pulled herself up onto the chair before reaching for her sister’s wallet. The five year old looked very similar to her sister, light brown hair, long legs (though Cayce needed to grow into hers) just like their mother’s, and had same sharp emerald eyes of their father. Except Cayce’s eyes were somewhat softer and wider since she still had all her innocents.

Claming two dollar bills, Cayce put them on _her_ coffee table. Then she helped her sister by attaching her self to Cassidy’s legs tell the young woman picked her up and plunked the girl on the counter.

“Hmmm…” Cassidy made a face, “Good thing I get paid tomorrow, Sissy, we need to shop.”

“I help?” the girl looked up from picking out eggshells from a bowl, she still didn’t get how her sister could crake eggs with one hand and not get any shell in the bowl… Cayce gasped as she figured it out. Her sister was magic! That _had_ to be it!

“Yeah, Case, you can help.” Cassidy started hunting again, this time for a spatula. As she did so, she mentally added new kitchen stuffs to the ever-growing list of: ‘Things-We-Need-To-Get-Next-Paycheck.’

 

* * *

 

 

To say the Coffee Place was busy would have been a vast understatement. It was near packed, rivaling a can of sardines, and everyone wanted their caffeine ten minuets ago!

 

“Oh my God.” Cassidy put down the box she was carrying, “Sissy, go watch a movie in the back, Nick will help you with the player okay?” she started undoing her vest, reveling a yellow tan-top. Brushing her hands on her jeans the woman grabbed up an apron (that said ‘Kiss me! I make your caffeine!’ like all the other aprons) and washed her hands before starting up the other espresso machine.

 

“Okay.” Cayce pulled off her pink jacket and dragged it and their shared backpack into the back of the store calling out, “Uncle Nick-eee!”

“Cassy, I’ve said it before I’ll say it again.” Another young woman, Alex, roughly Cassidy's age in their early twenties, said, “Work your magic woman!”

Alex was half Native American and half Jamaican, she wearing the same blue jeans that Cassidy and the other employees had, comfortable sneakers and a white tank top. The female employees had long since learned that tang tops under their aprons was a must, especially in the winter when Miss Thelma insisted that all her java houses were a tad too toasty. If the current manager left, Alex would take Cassidy’s job when she took over management of a new location.

Amber-brown eyes light up as she smiled at her best friend and laughed at the semi-privet joke. Any one else other then the long tern employees, Miss Thelma and very few other customers, would think that Alex was talking about her friend’s skills in this business; but she wasn’t.

Cassidy was a mutant.

It wasn’t obvious; she looked just like a normal human because her mutation was internal; mostly in her brain. It had developed differently from others since she was about her sister’s age, but not so much as true telepaths.

As Cassidy took drink orders she carefully worked her way ‘into’ the general mood of the building, smoothing it out into a more comfortable atmosphere and the nose level went down a notch or two, the stress levels more so. The woman was an empath.

Miss Thelma, a pleasantly plump woman who was just _considering_ being old (her words) despite the fact her hair has streaks of silver. She marched down from her office on the second floor when she felt her annoyance at her taxes bleed away.

“Cassy!” Miss Thelma said, “What are you doing here? I thought you where going to do inventory today at the warehouse.”

“I’ll do it tonight Thelma,” Cassidy said with out looking away from what she was doing, “I wanted to spend the morning with Sissy.” When she was done making the drink she snagged the next costumer before Alex could. And the costumer was someone she recognized, not a regular but he might be. He was tall with broad shoulders, well muscled (very well muscled indeed!), stood over six feet had sort cropped reddish blond hair and blue eyes.

Amy, one of the actual waitresses who ran around taking sandwich orders instead of standing behind a coffee maker, giggled and ducked into the back room to alert Nick. A moment latter both the blond and the brown haired man peeked behind the door fame and giggled when Miss Thelma chased them back into work good naturedly.

Cassidy tried not to stare, grinning at the emotions behind her she addressed the man as he blinked at the strange behavior, “Large, double sweet, no from, white chocolate latte?”

“Uh…yeah, I mean yes, yeah…” Eddie Brock stared and tried to figure out how the woman new what he wonted.

“Don’t fret mister.” Alex grinned, “Cassy has a thing for remembering over half of drinks our customers order. That’s why she’s the assistant manager and I’m not.”

“Hah!” Cassidy laughed as Amy zipped by, arms full of plates, “You’ll have my job soon, just watch.”

The darker colored woman grinned again, “Yeah sure, I’ll get it, when you become the manager of a different Place.” Seeing Eddie’s odd expression as she rang up his order she smiled at him, “Don’t mind us, we just insane employees.”

“You said it!” half of the said employees yelled from varies places in and out of sight, getting laughter from the regulars.

“Damn right I did!”

Eddie chuckled, then looked behind the woman at the door to the back room as a child’s voice called out, “TAG Aunty Al!”

Alex winced then glared at Cassidy, “What are you feeding her? She heard me all the way in the back!”

The empath shrugged, “She’s a lot like Da’ you know.”

“Aunty Al?”

“Yes, yes, I’ll give you a dollar latter Cayce, I’m working right now.” Alex called back and smiled once again and the ‘weee!’ that was heard and Nick swooped the child back in the safety of the behind the scenes.

“‘Tag?’” Brock asked Cassidy, raising an eyebrow.

“T-A-G stands for: ‘That Ain’t Good!’” the woman replayed, “Every time she hears me or one of the girls swear, we have to give her a dollar.” She shook her head, “The more we swear the more money we lose.”

“Hmm.” Eddie nodded, very aware of his other half’s near complete attention on the two women as he was handed his drink. Claiming and hording a small table as his own for a bit he watched the crowd of people, not really staring at the two manning the espresso machines.

The alien symbiote that had bonded to the man had been attracted to this java house for some reason, and had pestered Eddie until he gave in, just to make his other stop. Once inside the noise place he couldn’t understand what was so important until the mood suddenly changed. If the symbiote had been in physical control of their body it would have been drooling more them normal. It was still like that when he got up to the counter.

Then that brunette rattled off one of his favorite drinks, at the same time Brock’s other subsided into a state that might be called ‘wide eyed’ wonder. It wasn’t until he was sitting that the symbiote shared what it was with him.

Eddie’s eyes widen a bit as he turned his attention inward. His other didn’t ‘see’ exactly when they were in the man’s body (though it could see through Eddie’s eyes if need be), it ‘saw’ things more from the emotions and ‘life force’ you could say.

~ **Preeeety...** ~ the symbiote focused on the brunette, ‘watching’ her as she manipulated the emotions around her.

So _that_ was why Brock’s other wanted to come in here… it found a mutant it liked. The man looked Cassidy over again; she was cute, not outstandingly beautiful just cute. He liked her eyes, his other noted the long legs and mentally started to drool again.

Ahh, the joys of having a symbiote...

 

~ _Don’t do that,_ ~ he didn’t need the mental image of Venom’s drool on his thoughts.

 

~ **But shes so pretty our love-** ~

 

~ _No drooling! You might make_ me _do it._ ~ Eddie rolled his eyes as he snared the newspaper someone left on the table, flipping first to the crime secion, then sports, then apartments adds. Letting his other ‘people watch.’

 

* * *

 

“SISSY!” Cayce attached herself to her sister’s legs, “I have ride please?” she asked hopefully.

“Okay, okay.” Cassidy swung their backpack on and with and feigned grunt of effort she picked up the girl and put settled Cayce on her shoulders, “I think you have to many of uncle Nicky’s muffins today.”

“I had four.” The younger sister held up four figures, proud that she had remembered the number.

“FOUR!” Cassidy whined, “Sissy you’re going to brake my back before we get home!”

“Hey McConnell! Wait!”

Both sisters paused, Cassidy turning around, her hands griping Cayce’s legs to keep her from falling off, “Yeah?”

One of the night workers trotted up to them holding a white envelope, “Miss Thelma wanted you to have this before you, and I quote, ‘stave to death in that old place.’” The teen handed the envelope over.

“Oooo…” Cassidy grinned as she saw her pay check, “Hey Sissy I think we can go to the Mexican place now.”

“Yippee!”

The woman winced as her sister had to grab a handful of her hair to stay up right. Thanking the teen, Cassidy started off home, she’d take her sister out to the Mexican grocery store tomorrow night. It was getting dark and they had a bit of a walk, having no car to their name yet. The conversion mostly centered on the girl, talking about what she did, saw and learned that day as conversions tended to do when talking with a child.

 

Eventually Cayce had to migrate to her sister’s arms, and as they neared the warehouse Cayce, who was resting her head on Cassidy’s shoulder with arms wrapped around her neck, spook up after a light doze. “Sissy?”

“Hmm?”

“That man, there, why is ‘e fallowing us?” she asked.

“What?” Cassidy turned partly, seeing a black haired man in an attire of one trying to look like a Goth but is no were near it, “what makes you think he’s fallowing us?”

“Saw him fallow us at the funny tree.” The girl stated mater-of-factly and looked at her sister as if she should have known this too.

Cassidy frowned looking back again, that tree was passed ten minutes ago… when the man realized that she was looking at him he looked away. Having a bad feeling start to form Cassidy stretched out her other sense. The woman sucked in her breath making Cayce sit up, hands gripping her sister’s jacket to keep from falling over backwards.

“Wha’ wrong sissy?” the girl asked softly, picking up her sister’s emotions.

“Something.” Cassidy glanced back once more as she lengthening her stride, thanking god she had her mother’s legs and thus can move faster without jogging. She didn’t like what she was picking up form the man, not one bit. When she saw two more men, similarly dressed, looking smug and exchanging looks with each other and the man be hind her, the woman’s bad feeling harden.

They were too close, no one else was around and Cassidy started to gather all the emotions in ‘reach,’ getting ready to…

“Hey Cassidy!”

All heads turned at the voice and the woman saw her Knight. Though he was missing the shining armor and white horse. However, he did look good in sneakers, blue jeans, tan t-shirt and leather jacket.

Eddie Brock trotted across the street and fell into step with the empath, stuffing his hands into his jacket pockets he looked down at her, “I was getting worried about you, you know. Work late?” he asked, watching the other men out of the corner of his eyes. He saw them try what they were doing before.

“Umm…yeah.” It took a moment for Cassidy to catch on what he was doing for her. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”

Taking, mugging and possibility doing other things to a harmless looking woman and her kid was one thing; but trying that with her when her apparent boyfriend that could not only out weigh all three but made each one look like scrawny wimps was quite another.

The men behind the two exchanged looks again. This time their courage seemed to bleed away and the two in front edged pass the three before dragging the smallest away.

Casting another glace as well as her senses out one more time, Cassidy looked up at the man beside her, feeling his strong presence. But unlike the Goth-wanna-bes, he wasn’t threatening, there was just a _lot_ of him.

Mmm…. nice bicep…

Crap! She shouldn’t be thinking like that right now!

“Thanks.”

“No problem.” Eddie smiled, “Mind if I walk you home?”

Cassidy tore her gaze from Brock and looked backwards, “No. I mean yes, that would be fine.”

Wide green eyes stared up at Eddie as memories of another man, a man she still missed, flicked though her mind. Cayce blinked and Eddie looked down at the child, not needing his other to tell him the two were related.

“Who’re you?” Cayce asked, still wide eyed.

“My name is Eddie, you?”

“Cayce…” suddenly shy, the girl hid her face in Cassidy’s shoulder felling her older sister laugh as she did so.


	3. Mornings are Evil

“Normal spoken dialog,”

“ ** _Vemon’s spoken dialog,_** ”

:: _radio dialog,_ ::

~ _Eddie’s bonded dialog to Venom,_ ~

~ **Vemon’s** **bonded dialog to Eddie,** ~

 

* * *

 

_Beeeeeeeep!_

_::--s is Jacky Kim and Kevin Bower here for your Six Thirty A.M. News!::_

_::Yes, and a wake up call to those who use our show to wake up in order to rush to work.::_

_::Hah, hah very funny Kevin. So, what were you saying earlier about the latest sighting of this ‘Venom’ character from New York?::_

_::Well if we’re seeing him here in our stary city he’s not in New York is he? And it’s not so much a ‘sighting’ but supposed killings.::_

_::More? That’s...twenty now?::_

_::Twenty-three. Three men were found dead in a drug bust last night, another two literally scare out of their minds.::_

_::Why do the police think Venom did this?::_

_::The backs of dead men’s heads where gone... as well as what was inside.::_

_::Oh my god.::_

_::The worst part is that an officer found a child in the back.::_

_::Oh no!::_

_::The kid is fine from what I here, not a scratch on him, in fact, he was apparently more afraid of the police then what happened earlier.::_

_::The boy’s fine? This monster didn’t hurt him? That’s hard to believe.::_

_::I don’t know, considering how the boy was treated, I think Venom did him a favor.::_

_::How can you say that when people were killed—::_

_Whump_!

 

Cassidy grabbed her clock radio she just turned off with a smack and lifted her head from under the pillow that was over it. Green eyes squinted at the sickeningly cheerful green numbers before she groaned and dropped her head back into the nest of pillows and comforters intending to stay there with her sister for another three hours at least. Cayce had come into her older sister’s room sometime last night, scared that the monster in her closet wasn’t going to stay in the closet any longer. Fortunately, for her, Cassidy had been too tired to do more than grunt and scoot over.

 

Now both sisters were burrowed deep underneath their blankets, desperately clinging to sleep as best as they could. Cayce seemed to be having more luck then her sister, who was just about to nod off again then the radio came back on.

 

Groaning again, Cassidy fought to get free of the blankets and her sister, who was all but dead to the world, both were clinging to her. Finally getting disentangled, and evening her sister’s ability to sleep like a rock, the older empath managed to turn off the annoying thing that was keeping her awake. Flopped down on her back, she tried vainly to go back to sleep.

 

It was no use, she was up and couldn’t go back to sleep.

 

Growling at the radio, Cassidy slipped out of her bed and, after making sure her little sister was still out- _How come she can sleep and I can’t?-_ and made her way to the bathroom.

 

“Ahhhhh...better, muuuuch better.” Cassidy said after a while, stretching as she came out of her shower into thick fog like steam. Hmm…maybe she used too much hot water… Oh well. Grabbing a towel she opened the bathroom door (cold air!) and scuttled to her room, dripping water all over the floor, and to clean jeans, gray t-shirt and her dad’s old dark green sweeter.

 

Making a note to do laundry too, Cassidy started on a shopping list.

 

* * *

 

 

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ _Eeee, Eeee!_

 

There was a- _Thump_! And then silence. Blessed silence...

_Eeeee!_

 

A groan is heard from somewhere in the dark room.

 

_::Good morning all! This is Jacky Kim and Kevin Bower here for your Six Thirty A.M. News!::_

_::Yes, and a wake up call to those who use our show to wake up in order to rush to work.::_

 

Eddie made a face and tried ignoring the talk show hosts. Maybe the voices would go away. No such luck. The man sighed, in the back of his mind his other made a rude comment that Brock would have snickered at any other time of the day. It was too early, why the hell did her set his alarm again?

 

 _::_ \-- _in our golden city he’s not in New York is he?::_

 

Of course he wasn’t in New York any more, why should he stay there? Just because they didn’t like Spiderman, really didn’t like him, okay, okay. Hated his guts, but that didn’t mean they should stay in the big apple and plot revenge 24-7.

 

Sheeze... some people. Bonded symbiot pairs needed to get away, even- dare they say- try to start over.

 

_::Twenty-three. Three men were found dead in a drug bust last night, another two literally scare out of their minds.::_

 

More like thirty-four, Eddie thought, half heartily trying to block out the radio with a pillow.

 

_::The backs of dead men’s heads where gone...as well as what was inside.::_

_::Oh my god. ::_

 

 **~Yeeesss...pray to your god that we don’t find you and ‘tell’ you just how mush we dislike your little morning show...** ~

 

.............Okay, that was the symbiote talking. Honestly.

 

_::The worst part is that an officer found a child in the back. ::_

_::Oh no!::_

 

Oh that’s right, he remembered him. Poor kid was trapped there. And, he was the only one at that place not to pass out or open fire at him. Even going so far to let Venom pick the boy up without screaming and put him safely in a hiding place before the symbiote finished the job.

_::The boy’s fine? This monster didn’t hurt him? That’s hard to believe.::_

 

“Hah!” Eddie grunted out as he sat up, streaching as he did so. They had done good by the kid last night. Especially taking into account what those men were going to do him.

_::I don’t know, considering how the boy was treated, I think Venom did him a favor.::_

 

See?

 

_::-- people were killed-::_

 

...Duh.

 

“We’re not called the ‘ _lethal_ protector’ for nothing,” Eddie said as he leaned over to pulled the radio’s cored out of the wall, smiling when the woman’s voice wrapped before going silent. “Take that.” He muttered before obliging his other when it demanded more rest.

 

Brock was just about asleep when his other remembered, and reminded him why they had to get up so early. Groaning again Eddie lifted his right arm and slacked his face. Oh, right. He had a coffee date at seven thirty.

 

Eddie cracked open an eye, ~ _What time was it again?_ ~

 

~ **Six thirty something** _~_ His symbiote helpfully provided.

 

Crap! It’s going to take him almost forty-five minutes to get there!

 

 _~_ **Heh** _~_ the symbiote snickered in the back of Eddie’s mind and he struggled to get up and to the shower. There was a razor with his name on it in the bathroom…

 

She was there, when he finnaly made it and Eddie let out a silent breathe of relief. Okay so he was ten minutes late (what? There was a mugger that needed to be scared straight! …to bad that woman got scared out of her mind too….oops…) but at least he _was_ here, and so was she!

 

Both Cassidy and Cayce were sitting at a table, one with a mocha and the other with a kiwi Italian soda and a workbook. The older of the two sisters was sitting sideways so the younger one could have plenty of room to sit in her lap and kick her little legs under the table to her heart’s content. Cayce had a red coloring pencil in her left hand and was drawing something with the utmost care, chattering to her sister about everything that happened to them this week.

 

The ex-reporter walked up behind them, but before he could say anything the little girl changed subjects in a heartbeat. “Hey Sissy?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“When can we see Da?”

 

Cassidy winced and was glad her sister couldn’t see her face, “I don’t know Case.”

 

“Can we see him and mom soon?” the girl twisted around and her sister managed to smile.

 

“Sure, we can bring them flowers too.” The older woman assured, feeling pains of her own guilt that they hadn’t paid respects to her parents in quiet some time.

 

“Mommy like lils?”

 

“Lilies.” Cassidy corrected, “And we can.”

 

“Yay!”

 

Something tugged at the back of her mind and the empath blinked, turning in her seat as far as she could, as she had a full lap still, Cassidy saw Brock and smiled, “Hey, you made it.”

 

Eddie found himself smiling back, “Of course I did, this seat taken?” he pulled out a chair beside the two.

 

“Hiiiiiiiii!” Cayce waved.

 

“Hey kiddo.” Eddie ruffled the girl’s heir as he sat down.

 

Fighting to keep her sister relatively in place as she squirmed Cassidy shook her head, “Take it, just watch out for the sneaker missiles under there.”

 

“I will.” Brock said angling his legs out of range, “Oh, thanks.” He added when a cup of coffee was nudged over to him. “What are you two doing today?”

 

“We go to Wall Mart!” Cayce decaled and was hushed by her sister.

 

“No yelling Sissy.” The empath clamped a hand over her sister’s mouth. “Yesterday was payday and we don’t have much back at the ‘house, so we’re going to make a few trips to the store.”

 

“Trips?” Eddie asked taking a sip.

 

“Yeah…”

 

Cayce pulled the hand off and said in the blunt way of the young, “No car.”

 

The older mutant rolled her eyes as Eddie quirked an eyebrow, “Sissy’s right. Fortunately the store isn’t that far from the warehouse, so we make a couple trips, have lunch somewhere and if we need anything more then we go back or some other place.”

 

“Can you help?” Cayce boldly asked, “The bags are _heavy_ …” okay, maybe not so bold, but with a whining edge.

 

“Sissy!” Cassidy frowned down at her sister.

 

“No, no, it’s okay.” Brock said interrupting the scolding before it could really start.

 

“We couldn’t ask-”

 

“I just did Sissy.” Cayce pointed out.

 

Cassidy face-palmed as Eddie laughed, “It’s really okay.” he said, “I don’t mind Cassy. I honestly don’t have anything to do today.”

 

“You sure?” the woman looked like she wanted the extra help but wasn’t sure if it was okay to ask.

 

“Yeah, don’t worry.” Edie smiled.

 

* * *

 

“He asked you out!” Alex grinned over at her best friend. Both she and Cassidy were working in the back after hours at the Coffee Place, getting ready for an up-coming event; a charity race. “ _Please_ tell me you said yes! It’s been waaaaay too long since you’ve been out with anyone.”

 

“It hasn’t been that long!” the mutant protested, and added to try and save herself, “Nick and I went to the movies a few weeks ago.”

 

“I don’t count Cassy because I’m gay and you know that.” The young man said as he walked by with a box of fliers.

 

“ _Hah_!” Alex laughed, “And besides, Case’ was with you two.”

 

“Ahhrrr…” Cassidy hung her head in defeat.

 

“Well?”

 

“Yes, I said yes, okay? Happy?”

 

Nick and Alex cheered. “It’s about TIME!” they said together and the empath rolled her eyes. After a few hours, when all was sorted, done and locked up the three waved good bye going to their houses and apartments respectively.

 

“Walk you home?” a voice asked from the side.

 

Cassidy, who was thinking about her sister’s sleep over, turned and smiled, “My own personal bodyguard? Hell yeah. How are you doing Eddie?”

 

“Good, little board, but good.” Brock said falling into step with the woman, pointedly not making body contact.

 

“That’s good.”

 

"Yep." Eddie glanced ahead and frowned, "It's getting dark, you always work this late?"

 

Cassidy shrugged, "Sometimes, when I don't have my sister around."

 

"Ever take a cab?"

 

"Pisht! With how much they charge now a days? Give me a bus insted!"

_~_ **We would give you more than that...** _~_ A dark-silky voice purred in the back of the man’s mind.

 

Brock winced and tried to ignore his other side as best as he could. Movement caught his eye then and he looked then narrowed his eyes as he saw some men that did not look like upstanding LA-ers.

 

"Something wrong?" The empath asked looking up.

 

"Don't know." His symbiote hissed in the back of his mind, and Eddie changed his mind, “Likely.”


	4. Killer Hangover

_Brock winced and tried to ignore his other side as best as he could. Movement caught his eye then and he looked then narrowed his eyes as he saw some men that did not look like upstanding LA-ers._

_"Something wrong?" The empath asked looking up._

_"Don't know." His symbiote hissed in the back of his mind as cool darkness started forming at the edges. He changed his mind, “Likely.”_

 

Eddie blinked under the symbiote's protective mask, slowly coming back to awareness from the muddled fog that happened when the symbiot was in complete control of their shared body.

 

~ _What happened?_ ~ He must have blacked out... but he hadn't done that in quiet some time. The last time was when his symbiote took over for...

 

Hey, wait a minute!

 

Brock's other avoided his prodding question, ~ _What did you do now?~_ It was hiding something from him, and not very well as it might normally do, and though Eddie was coming back mentally from the forced slumber, his body was still firmly locked in the other’s control.

 

When he was aloud to come back to both his body as well as the mind, Eddie became aware that he wasn't on the street and the coolness that surrounded him told him that the symbiote was out.

 

"We thought we were over the body-snatching thing by now." Venom grumbled in Eddie's normal voice as he looked around the dark to see where he was. He nearly fell off the roof he was on when he looked down, realizing that he was holding something. Or rather _someone_.

_~What the #$^#@$!!~_ Eddie demanded inwardly as he carefully shifted his hold on the unconscious woman, mindful of his own claws and powerful form.

 

" ** _We saved her..._** " Venom spook up again, this time in his more 'normal' voice, not in the least bit concerned that it sounded like his was having a conversation with himself. Well, it was true in a way, with two minds sharing the same body things like this tended to happen.

 

_Oh boy..._

 

Venom shifted, wrapping a tendril around Cassidy's knees, freeing one of his hands. He brushed the backs of his talons over her cheek, " ** _Pretty..._** "

 

In the back of his shared mind Bock was yelling that it might be a bad idea to start drooling. ~ _Save it for later god damn it!_ ~

 

" **W _e can wait for this._** " Venom said softly, his fangs folded in and looking more like he had a smooth ‘mask’ as the dark colored creature lifted the unconscious woman up to- no Eddie wasn’t imagining things as Venom nuzzled against the woman. " ** _But not too long. You will be ours, our love. We promise that._** "

 

~ _Love, we can’t keep her._ ~ Eddie said, both gently and firmly as he pushed to get some shared control back.

 

“ ** _Why not?_** ” Venom hissed as he held Cassidy as tightly as he dared, tendrils coiling around her as he gripped his host tighter as well.

 

Venom shook his head, rumbling as Brock took enough control to step well away from the edge of the roof, no longer perching but sat safely down in the shadows. When Venom spoke it was in Eddie’s voice, unaltered for the most part. “It doesn’t work like that, more so if you think you love someone-”

 

“ ** _We dooo!_** ” Venom insisted, flexing his free hand and claws out into the air. Almost childlike in his thoughts despite the symbiotic half having lived for dozens of human generations, if not more.

 

In a way, Eddie knew his other half _was_ childlike in many, many ways. More so in human cultures and emotions, and now apparently in relationships as well. “Then we can’t force it, can’t force her to like us. That has to be _Cassidy’s_ choice.”

 

“ ** _Awww..._** ” The big creature pouted, fangs folded in and ‘lips’ poofed out a bit.

 

“ _No forcing,_ ” Eddie insisted as they rose back up, the hulking mass of muscle, fangs and power that was Venom was decreasing, the symbiot smoothing into its suit-form. The living blackness more skin tight around Eddie’s own frame, the fangs completely gone and only white eye patches on the ‘mask.’ Venom rumbled softly, the sound lighter with the smaller frame, but not really ‘light’ as the human host wasn’t a small man.

 

“ ** _No forcing._** ” Venom said, once more in complete harmony between symbiot and host. Knowing what roof they were on, Venom-Eddie moved to the roof access door. Bracing Cassidy He reached out with his free hand, forming a tendril to poke into the lock. In a far more subtle way of their more known ‘breaking and entering’ tactics back in New York, the symbiot flowed around the mechanics of the simple lock and triggered it to unlock.

 

Venom closed the door behind him as he moved down into the apartment over the Coffee Place’s warehouse. The eye patches faded as the symbiot pulled back off Eddie’s head. Taking a deep breath he looked around carefully, not sure if anyone else would be here before taking Cassidy to her room and setting her on the bed. Grabbing a pillow from the head he put that under her head, and pulled the comforter over her.

 

It looked more like a half formed cocoon but at least she wasn’t on the roof outside anymore.

 

Eddie hesitated, then sighing he moved back to Cassidy and took her shoes off, and plopped the things on the floor by the bedframe. “What happened?” He asked his other.

 

~ **They had bad intentions.** ~ The symbiot spoke up mentally, and finally showed his host what it had done, reacting at the time too fast for the humans. Enclosing Eddie mentally and physically to protect, and while lashing out at the hostel men, it had slipped another tendril to back of Cassidy’s head as she was stumbling at the surge of suddenly new emotional imprint beside her.

 

The symbiot hadn’t intended to knock her out, but block her memory of his actions. It hadn’t known that trick it had with hosts was more telepathy like when used on someone that wasn’t a direct host, nor was it- or Eddie, aware of the differences between telepaths and empaths.

 

Although many would assume that telepathic and empathic mutates were the same, it wasn’t quiet true. Brains where wired differently, in differ parts of the brain. So although an empathy could read a telepath’s open emotions for the most part, a telepath couldn’t read an empath’s mind. Mixing the two in attempts of non-verbal communications would result in headaches to hang overs in both parties, and that’s when it was expected.

 

Unexpected had a wide range of reactions, and Cassidy was a powerful empath on her own, working daily with emotions of a big city and the general public of her work. She had a developed ‘vocabulary’ of emotional patterns to read and send.

 

So when Venom had invaded her mind, if temporarily, he had essentially put a wrench in the workings and to protect itself, Cassidy’s mind, and body in turn, shut down.

 

Eddie facepalmed with a groan, settling down on the edge of the bed to wait it out, making sure Cassidy would wake up on her own first before daring to try anything with his other. He stayed as a quiet guard until the next morning when someone came to the warehouse, and restrained his other half from hunting. The man relaxed from his hiding spot when the intruder proved not to be one, but only Alex checking in on her friend.

 

He moved to the roof and outside so not to be seen, the mask back in place as he relaxed. Alex seemed to know exactly what to do, and soon had her friend in a half awake state to get some food in her, and stayed for the next day and night until the empath recovered.

 

"Oowww…my head…"

 

Cassidy winced as she slowly woke up, lifting a hand to her throbbing head. It hurt in more than one way. The woman could feel her empathy flicking every which way as she tried to find her mental shields. It wasn't focusing on any one thing. Scattered 'colors' were flashing in her mind's eye, representing the emotions she was picking up from people outside the building.

 

The mutant cringed and lifted both hands to her head as too many alien emotions from the strangers outside bombarded her unguarded mind.

 

The said thing was that she knew why it was happening, this wasn't the first time Cassidy been through this.

 

"Hangover…" the woman whined to herself half curling up on her couch, missing the warm dark when she was asleep. That had left and the waking world had trickled in until she rosed.

 

"I bet, you where drunker then we were back at the College New Year’s party."

 

"Not s'load Al…" Cassidy peeked out from under an arm and winced again before hiding under a pillow, "Too bright…"

 

"Heh, mutant you may be but brave you are not." Alex said as she turned out the living room lights. Picking up a cup of coffee she walked back to her friend.

 

"Bugger off." Cassidy said lifting a hand to give the other woman, and the world at large, the one finger salute.

 

"I got coffee." The human said waving the cup near her friend.

 

"……gimme."

 

"Sit up."

 

" _Blah._ " Carefully, and with some help, Cassidy sat up and leaned back. She sighed as Alex sat beside her, the empath using her friend as an anchor to reestablish her personal empathy shields.

 

"Remember anything this time?" Alex asked handing the cup over.

 

"Nee-ah." was the intelligent reply from the other woman. Thanks to her mutation Cassidy could remember little to nothing when alcohol was in her system.

 

"Now, you see, this is why you go with me or Nick when you go drinking."

 

"I don't think I was drinking…"

 

"Then why the hangover Cassy?"

 

"I don't know." Cassidy slowly shook her head from one side to another before taking a drink. "Maybe…"

 

"Maybe what?" Alex asked. She paused when she saw her friend's look, "Oh. You're thinking you had an overload aren't you sister."

 

"…yeah. I'm recovering a lot faster, but I don't know what triggered it." The empath blinked and looked up, "Wait, how long was I out of it this time?"

 

"You were in and out of it for almost two days--" Alex started, and then moved her cup out of the way as her friend jumped.

 

"Oh my God! Sissy!"

 

"Cassy! It's okay! It's okay, she's with Nicky!" Alex pounced on the other woman before she could fully jump up. "When Jack called me and I found out that you were gah-gah I had Nick pick her up from my mom’s, she's at his house now."

 

" _Thank you._ " Cassidy relaxed back into the couch and once again started on rebuilding her mental shields.

 

"Take your time Sissy, the last thing I need is for you to wig-out on me when we pick up your sister."

 

"Weeee…you try doing this and _you_ tell _me_ how easy it is." Cassidy winced as she picked up a flash of aggression.

 

* * *

 

 

"Hey Nicky!" Cassidy called as she and Alex came over to the school yard they were picking Cayce up at.

 

"Hi girls!" the man waved as he turned from the playground.

 

"Where's my sister?" The empathy started to ask as she came up to Nick before being bulled over by an unexpected tackle to the legs.

 

"SISSY!" the living bowling ball cried on impact.

 

"Ah!" Cassidy pin-wheeled her arms, but gravity won out.

_Thump._

 

"She's happy to see you, isn't she?"

 

Cassidy shifted her sister and flipped Alex off from where she had been knocked over by Cayce. Doing so only where the girl couldn’t see, "Bugger off Al."

 

"You first Cassy." Alex grinned and helped both up with a worried Nick.

 

"I missed you Sissy! Are you okay? Aunty Al and Uncle Nicky said you were sick! Are you okay now? Did you eat soup? 'Member that's what Mommy said you should always eat when you are sick." Cayce spook at a million miles a minute as she demanded to know about her elder sister's health.

 

Both of the older women looked at one another and rolled their eyes before Cassidy started to reassure her sister as she stood up with the girl in her arms. "Yes Sissy I remember what Mommy said and had lots of soup," It was more like lots of painkillers but the older mutant left that out, "I'm fine now, Aunty Ally helped me get better."

 

"You sure?" Cayce asked putting her small hand to Cassidy's forehead. She really didn't understand just yet _why_ people do it, but they did it to sick people so it must be done for a good reason. Maybe it helped them get better!

 

"Yes I'm all good now." Cassidy hugged her sister and then looked over her head at her friend, "Hey thanks for watching her Nick, you're a total life saver."

 

"Eh," he shrugged, and then gave a playful wink, "I'm not a candy, but you're welcome Cassy."

 

"Oh you dork!" Alex took a playful swat at the young man who dances out of the way.

 

"Just lay off the 'cough syrup' Cassidy!" Nick laughed putting Alex between them as if that would save them.

 

"I wasn't…" Cassidy started but stopped herself from saying 'drunk' around her little sister. Cayce already thought she had been sick and didn't need to know what really happened, that her big sister had lost control of her powers.

 

"Come on lets go get some pizza for dinner." Alex intervened before any awkward questions were asked, she smiled at the girl and asked. "Sound good Cayce?"

 

"Yeah! Ho-i-….d?" the young girl paused trying to remember the restraint the four normally went to for pizza.

 

"Ho-I-Des." The older three said, Nick helping Cassidy stay balanced as they walked and were passed a group of people in a car. Apparently projecting their emotions a little too much.

 

"Sissy?" Cayce looked up at her older sister after she was put back on her own feet.

 

"Yeah Cayce?" Cassidy looked down, grasping the girl's hand as the four started off again.

 

"Can we go to Mexican tomorrow?"

 

Cassidy considered, then compromised. "How about I make tacos instead?"

 

"Okay." Cayce beamed.

 

"Ooo...can we come?" Nick poked the empath, grinning at Alex who grinned back. Both scrunching together behind Cassidy in a silly moment between friends.

 

"Yeah, can we Sissy?" The dark woman pleaded and then laughed as Cayce joined in.

 

"Arg…Fine but you're bringing half the food."

 

"Deal."

 

"Done."

 

* * *

 

 

He blended with the shadows as if he were night itself come alive. He slid so seamlessly along the streets, allies and roof tops of Los Angelus that no one noticed him. No one saw behind the living darkness, nor the man under it.

 

He was a being that some called a predator and others saw as protector.

 

Venom growled softly as he watched two people, a young woman and kid sister walk home from an evening of pizza and games. He shadowed them, making sure not to get too closes, for the empath would know he was there before he wanted her to.

 

But he still fallowed, making sure of their safety the only way he knew how when not in human form. Then waiting for an hour a few buildings away from the modified, livable, warehouse until he was sure nothing would happen. Only then leaving to stock the streets.

 


	5. House Rules

 

“Normal spoken dialog,”

“ ** _Vemon’s spoken dialog,_** ”

:: _radio dialog,_ ::

~ _Eddie’s bonded dialog,_ ~

~ **Vemon’s** **bonded dialog,** ~

 

* * *

 

House rules.

 

Eddie was okay with them as he dozed in the king sized bed, both providing and receiving extra warmth from two other forms. The broad shoulder man yawned widely and if he was to be honest, lazily as well before opening one eye to see if Cayce was asleep like her older sister.

 

The girl was.

 

Brock blinked a few times and carefully reached for the remotes and turned off both the television and the old VHS player that had been playing Lady and the Tramp that evening. Cayce had the last pick of movie night, it was okay though. Cassidy had fallen asleep half way through, using Eddie’s arm as a pillow since he had stolen hers, Cayce not quiet making it to the end of the movie either, secure in the child’s knowledge of a story’s good ending. 

 

Both Eddie and Cassidy were in shorts and t-shirts (well, boxers for Eddie, shorts for Cassidy), the ‘house rules’ were in full affect since the younger of the two McConnell sisters was present. Cayce herself was in an oversized t-shirt that use to belong to her father, she had a light blanket over her as well as she stole any and all heat she could from Brock. But that was okay as well, he could steal Cassidy’s heat.

 

The man tossed the remotes at the end of the bed and used his foot to nudge them off where they fell to the ground with a _thump_ , _thump_. Eddie relaxed and started to drift off again. At one point in the night he blinked sleepily awake as he realized once of the girls was missing, but it was only Cayce going and coming back from going to the bathroom. She crawled back and promptly flopped down and wrapped her little arms around Brock’s free left arm.

 

He’s other half made a mental sound. Yet it was only a complaint of wanting to rest, or ‘sleep’ as much as a symbiot could, and Eddie was more than happy to do so.

 

The next morning Cassidy yawned widely as she stretched out her legs and arms, tensing slightly before relaxing. She blinked a few times before rolling over and sliding out of her bed. The woman smiled as she saw the other two sleeping on, Eddie was still on his back with the younger McConnell sister attached to his left arm and blissfully unconscious to the world.

 

It was cute.

 

Wait, the other two still got to sleep in.

 

“Buggers...” The empath shook her head as she stumble into the doorframe, correcting her path she headed to the bathroom and shower. The water was hot and nice. Clean now, Cassidy pulled on the set of cloths she left in there last night. 

 

The woman came back into the kitchen more awake them she had been a half an hour ago. “Coffee...”

 

The coffee pot was attacked and after the big red can in the cabinet was robbed of several scoops of ground java beans, Cassidy was hunting for her favorite mug.

 

Both Brock and her sister slept on.

 

“Why can’t I ever sleep in?” The empath complained as she sat on a couch and turned the early morning news on, mindful to keep the volume down, as she waited for the coffee maker to do its job.

 

Some punks had been racing their cars last night, and thus had an accident. Some person in Washington DC came on for some odd minutes complaining about mutants. Again.  
  
“Booo.” Was Cassidy’s opinion of the man, and was thankful that her sister wasn’t awake to hear what he was saying about mutants. Then she smiled as one of the spokespersons for mutants (Jean something-or-another) put the narrow minded guy in his place.

 

Brownie points to mutants!

 

The weather report was next, it was going to be sunning and hot (nothing new) for the week and part of the next. After that Cassidy dozed lightly through the sports recap of the night before until the coffeemaker dinged.

 

When she refocused on the news the two anchor men were talking about a far more local thing. That dark creature/mutant/alien person... thingy...

 

Venom.

 

Cassidy yawned at the men, not really concerned in the least about this Venom person. From what she understood he normally attacked muggers, thieves and rapists. _Not_ single (more or less at the moment) coffee shop managers who were trying to take care of their little sisters since their parents died.

 

Anyways, this Venom seemed to like gallivanting around the city at night, and Cassidy was rarely out past nine-thirty or ten now a days. It was just a part of growing up it seemed, and besides, the chances of _her_ meeting it were very slim because of these factors.

 

“I have a leach.” Eddie said coming into the combined room, the small form of Cayce was in his arms as she groggily wrapped her own arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder. He had a look that was a mix of tired pleasure and bemusement.

 

“Welcome to the family.” Cassidy smiled, able to read his emotions of wanting family peace. Moving her feet to let Brock sit down, “Here,” she added passing her half full but still hot mug of coffee to the man. 

 

“Mmmm...”

 

“You want to cook?”

 

“I don’t really cook, I burn stuff if I try.”

 

“Good.”

 

Eddie looked over at the woman with a questioning expression.

 

“I don’t want to cook, so we’re going to I-Hop. Want to come?” Cassidy explained.

 

“We’d love to.” Brock said as he yawn before tilting his head back, unaware he had slipped, “After I wake up and go to the nearest surgeon to remove this thermal vampire.”

 

Cassidy laughed, not seeming to have notice that Eddie had referred to himself as ‘we.’ If she had she didn’t say anything, or just simply chucked in up of per-morning caffeine grammar- or lack thereof. Or even a default of using ‘we’ when with a young child nearby.

 

* * *

 

 

“So how long have you been actually going out?” Alex asked her friend, looking up from one of her research books that was spread out on the crate-table in Cassidy’s loft apartment.

 

“I donna know,” Cassidy paused and blinked, she glanced over to open floor in front of the ‘best view’ window of the brick wall. The empath shrugged, smiling as Cayce showed her the drawing she was making, having been coloring as the two adults worked. “Maybe three or four months?”

 

Alex grinned, leaning over to poke the other woman with a pen. “Have the house rules been broken yet?”

 

“Oh _hell_ no!” Cassidy rolled her eyes, and then winced.

 

“TAG sissy!” Cayce called, looking up and pointed at her sister.

 

Sighing the older sister rolled her eyes, “...frig.” Cassidy muttered under her breath.

 

“Snrt.” Alex snorted, “She’s getting really good at calling out people.”

 

“Oh shut up Al.” Cassidy said gave her own snort, and as her friend giggled away, used one of the books to block her motion of flipping the other woman off. Cassidy grinned as Alex returned the salute after lifting the side of her book, neither taking offence as it was more playful between them and Nick instead of insulting.

 

“Sissy?” Cayce asked hopefully.

 

Cassidy smiled over at her sister and pointed back to her coloring pencils, “Later Cayce I promise. Go back to coloring sweetie.” 

 

“Okay Sissy,” The girl turned back to finishing her picture.

 

“Anyways, here, pass me that thesaurus,” Alex pointed at the heavy book that was on the floor beside her, and added with an eyebrow wiggle, “Hey, have you two at least _bent_ the house rules?”

 

There was a long pause.

 

“ _Maybe_.” Cassidy admitted.

 

“Oh?” Alex asked as her eyes lit up, clearly having fun with this part of their gossip session.

 

“Well, yeah, until sissy woke up.” Cassidy tilted her head over at her younger sister, “Is that my gel pen?” She added as she took a good look at the pen that was poking her leg insistently.

 

“No, yours is over there, this is mine.” Alex paused her poking to point with the pen again, then belatedly started looking up what she needed in the thesaurus.  
  
“Oh.” Cassidy reached for her new gel pen before turning back to helping Alex with her paper for English class at her community college.

 

“Does he know?” the dark skinned woman asked paging through the thesaurus. The empath paused, knowing what her best friend was talking about. Alex looked up and put her book down as she felt the shift in her friend’s normal projected field. A small ripple but the two had been best friends since Cayce’s young age. “He doesn’t know yet?” She asked in a softer tone.

 

“Well,” Cassidy shifted, getting a bit uncomfortable, and then controlled what she was projecting so not to disturb the others (more so her sister who was far to young for this brand of awkward), “I didn’t say anything and Sissy really doesn’t know, she’s too young to completely understand yet.” Even if her sister was starting to show the first signs of being an empath as well.

 

“But?” Alex fished, know there was a ‘but’ coming.

 

“But... I think he may know, or have the idea.”

 

“Is that what your super power tells you?”

 

Cassidy frowned, “Its weird Al, it’s like I can sense almost two minds and emotions at times, but at the same time the ‘two’ are so much alike that it’s not _really_ two minds. Its not like a split personality either, I’ve seen that madness twice.” She pushed her hand through her hair and sighed, “It’s pretty distinct even to an empath.”

 

“Is it possible he’s a mutant too?” Alex asked and her friend looked up blinking.

 

“Oh, I didn’t think of that...”

 

The other woman laughed, “I guess it’s too bad you can’t read minds!”

 

“Oh god no!” Cassidy tilted her head back and looked at the ceiling in exasperation, “It’s hard enough with emotions! I don’t need a ‘true’ telepathic overload!”

 

“That would be horrible.”

 

“No kidding... I wouldn’t _ever_ be able to go to a bar or club.” Cassidy made a face and Alex did as well.

 

“Now _that_ would _suck_.” Alex said nodded and then chuckled with a flash of her twisted sense of humor. “It would suck major time too when doing it.” 

 

“Oh god, I would have stayed a virgin for the rest of my life! Could you _imagine_? Not I really feel sorry for telepaths.” Cassidy gave a mock shutter of fear and the two friends proceeded to poke fun at being a ‘true’ telepath, both the advantages and disadvantages of being one.


	6. This is Awkward

Eddie had done this a few times over the years, meeting the parents of whoever he was going out with. For some reason parents with daughters seemed a bit more overprotective then those who had sons. Most of the time, his own mother had been protective. Even Brock’s other had been a little protective over its spawn.

 

At least, up until Carnage’s host tried to take Venom’s kill (that annoying bug Spiderman) as well as sap the life out of his love interest at the time _and_ eat her.

 

About that time Venom more or less disowned his spawn as long as that host was there, and tried to kill him... too bad the infuriating (and deadly) pup had slinked off into the sewer ways of New York. Venom had no problem with the underground tunnels as he had used them quiet often, the symbiote well able to block off its host’s sense of smell from the out side world, but honestly, it _was_ the _sewers_ for god’s sake.

 

Even with an alien symbiote bonded to him, Eddie still had his pride. That was the one of the _very_ few things he had in common with that spider, both of them didn’t favor the sewers.

 

However, _that_ was beside the point.

 

Cassidy and Cayce decided that they would take Eddie to meet their mother and father. Needless to say Brock was a bit nervous because he remembered Cassidy saying once she was taking care of (raising) her younger sister do to the fact then their parents had died.

 

Talk about your awkward situations.

 

Eddie couldn’t figure out how to ask nicely what the hell she meant by him meeting her parents. So he just went along with it. That at least seemed to be the safe thing to do.

 

The buss ride out of town was nice, though because Cayce had long since decided that she liked Eddie, the girl sat on his lap most of the time. The man suspected it was really because the girl wanted to look out the window. Eddie liked the kid too, so did his other; it seemed to be fascinated by her almost bondless energy and complete innocence. But both liked the older of the two sisters far more, and for different reasons...

 

Damn those House Rules. Really, they did get in the way, but Eddie had respect enough to not push. No matter how much his other drooled mentally, or physically on their nightly runs.

 

“AH! This is our stop!” Cassidy yelped coming out of the almost trance like state she had been in for a minute as she reinforced her mental shields.

 

Eddie reached up and pulled the cored that let the diver know they wanted off. “Um... where are we?” he asked a few minutes later as they walked into what looked like a park at first before Brock zeroed in on the tombstones.

 

“The cemetery!” Cassidy chirped to cover the natural human instincts of unease of being in a place of the dead, but more for her the becoming lack of surrounding emotions. As annoying at times it was to constantly shield herself, she still craved being with others.

 

Eddie rolled his eyes as he shifted the younger girl in his arms, able to support her for a little while with only one. “Well, yeah, but _why?_ ”

 

“Mommy and daddy are here.” Cayce butted into the conversion, holding a bundle of four lilies in her small arms while twisting around to take a good look around them.

 

“We come here once a month. Ish.” Cassidy smiled up at Eddie, projecting an easy going air around her that was nice, he’s other liked it and said so. “Come on, it’s okay.” The mutant added taking Brock’s free hand and pulled him to a nice looking hill.

 

If it wasn’t for the gravestones all over, this place would make a lovely park, even had a good view of city of Los Angeles. Cassidy smiled, sensing his slight nervousness and did her best to smooth it out without intruding or crossing any lines. It seemed to work.

 

“Here,” The empath gave the man’s hand a small squeeze as they stopped in font of two grave markers, the man kneeling down. “Eddie, meet our mom and da, Ericka and Tony.”

 

“I brought lils!” Cayce said as she proudly held the flowers up.

 

“Lilies.” Cassidy corrected as she knelt by her sister, “And Mom says she _loves_ them Sissy. Even Da likes them!” She hugged her sister, as she did so she slipped one blossom out of the bunch. Cayce beamed and put half of the bunch on their mother’s gave and the other half on their fathers.

 

“I love ya mommy, I love ya da!” the girl said.

 

Cassidy smiled, and handed her the extra lily, “Here go put this on Mr. Thomson’s marker.” She gave her sister a push and the girl ran over to another grave not far away, being very careful not to step on the graves themselves as she was taught by her sister. Then the empath turned partly to grin at Eddie, “Well, just don’t stand there, say hi!”

 

“Err...hi?” he tried, rising an eyebrow at the lankywoman.

 

“Not at me.” Cassidy came over to stand beside the man and addressed the two graves, “Mom, Da, this is Eddie.” The woman gave him a playful look.

 

“Hello,” Eddie tried again, playing along for her sake. Looking back to Cayce, then the graves as detective reporter instincts worked. This quirk, Brock realized, wasn’t a quirk but a coping mechanism that Cassidy must have used to help her little sister, and possibly herself, with the deaths of their parents. He knew how much this woman loved her little four year old, baby sister. Enough that she became Cayce’s legal guardian, becoming a mother as well as sister, not to mention what Eddie’s other sensed. Of Cassidy shielding and teaching the little blooming empath.

 

“Dad says you worried about something.” Cassidy said after a pause looking up at the blond man.

 

“I guess Mr. McConnell is right.” Eddie said, it was true, he was worried about more than just one something. Namely how on Earth he could reveal his other without scaring off his new found love interest.

 

“Da never liked being called that,” Cassidy giggled at the repetitive memory of her father constantly grousing, “He used to say it made him sound old.”

 

“Oh,” Brock smiled and faced the grave, “I’m sorry Tony, didn’t know.”

 

“He says its okay.”

 

“Good.”

 

“Da wants to know if you’re worried about a girl.” Cassidy smiled up at him. He shrugged, thinking of what to say. The woman glanced at her mother’s grave, “Mom wants to know if you’re worried about a guy.”

 

Eddie choked at that as Cassidy laughed, “No, _no._ I’m _not._ ”

 

“She has a funky sense of humor.” The empathy grinned as Eddie faced her. She blinked up at him, “Come on Eddie, something has been bugging you for awhile now.” She reached for his hand, “I’ve been picking up on it for a month or so. Come on baby, what’s wrong?”

 

Brock sighed shifting and grasped Cassidy’s hands, “Its... gah, I don’t know.” He shook his head, “There’s this part of me... I just...” he paused running a hand through his short hair as an excuse for another moment to think before looking back down, he stared into the green eyes he had fallen in love with, “I don’t want to scare you away, because of what I am Cassy.”

 

“Eddie,” Cassidy gave a faint smile, “I’m a mutant who’s raising her kid sister on her own, with occasional help of her best friends. One of them who is openly gay. That and I’ve lived in or around LA all my life.” She reached up to cup the side Brock’s face, rubbing her thumb over the man’s cheekbone like he had taken the habit of doing to her over the last month. “Ya ain’t getting rid of me easily.” Cassidy tilted her head and smiled again as she couldn’t help but to add, “Besides, I like having a personal body guard.”

 

Eddie gave a snort of amusement as he wrapped his arms around the woman, pulling her close and smiling when she propped her arms on his shoulders. “I know.” _We know._

 

~ **We like protecting our love.** ~ The symbiot added in the back of its host’s mind.

 

“Mommy says the House Rules are now the Hill Rules.” Cayce said after coming back and looking at her mother’s grave marker. Startled, Cassidy and Eddie looked down at the girl, at each other then down at the two graves, blinking. Cassidy gave an odd sound and thumped her head on Brock’s chest.

 

“Oh god, I really wonder sometimes...” she muttered, really hoping her sister wasn’t anything beyond an empath.

 

“That’s just creepy.” Eddie blinked again, he understood the reason for the House Rules, but he _knew_ that Cayce didn’t, she was far too young. It was... _creepy_.

 

Enough so that his other had stopped mentally drooling to turn its baffled attention to the young girl.

 

“Let’s go get some ice cream before going home huh?” Cassidy offered, of course Cayce promptly agreed. Eddie nodded as well, but kept one arm around the empath on the way back.

 

When the younger girl started to trot in order to keep up with the other two, who had longer strides, Brock stooped and effortlessly lifted Cayce up to his shoulders. “Come on kiddo, free ride.” He smiled.

 

* * *

 

 

The largest room of the upstairs of the warehouse apartment was dark. Only a dim light from an out side streetlamp and two digital clocks lit a few patches of floor. The main window in the kitchen, dinning and living room was slightly ajar letting a trickle of air flow through.

 

A black claw slid into the gap and as quietly as possible Venom worked the window open again for the second time that night. The first having been when he snuck out for a short patrol around a closer section of the sprawling city.

 

Even before he stepped inside, before slipping down between to two building to crawl to the window, the symbiote’s physical form had decreased in mass and height before it pulled away from the head and face of its host. Eddie blinked rapidly and ran his talons though his damp hair, mindful not to make any noise still so not to wake up the sleepers he left. Blue eyes flicked to the main bed room, but no moment came from the half open door that would give away that one of the two sisters were awake.

 

~ **They seem to be sleeping still.** ~ The voice of Eddie’s other said in the back of his mind, after a caucus reaching of its in-human senses, and Eddie reserved an impression of deep sleep for now.

 

“Good.” The man muttered, rubbing the back of his neck to work out a small kink there. Eddie was also careful not to hurt himself with the claws he still had, the symbiote was in it’s form-fitting ‘mode,’ covering all but his head yet Eddie still look like a man. Just one in a black suit with a white spider on the chest and back, now dimmed to a dull gray shade.

 

Eddie was mildly proud that he hadn’t nicked himself on his talons in some time. But every now and again... you just don’t pay attention until you’re pricked.

 

Reaching out the man closed the window again before stepping back and sighing. He smiled as an image that was given to him by his other.

 

“...Eddie?” A sleepy voice asked a moment before a yawn.

 

Turning on his heel the man blinked at Cassidy. In the back of his mind the Symbiote looked through his eyes and stared, if it was fully out it would have started to drool... once again (and really, this was getting annoying). The woman was only in a tank-top and underwear, showing off her long legs. Her green eyes were half closed and she yawned again.

 

“What are ya doin’ up?” Cassidy asked from behind her hand, slurring her words in the failed attempt to stop the yawn.

 

“Nothing,” Eddie said, ordering his symbiote to become all back and tried to withdraw the claws without notice. “We... _I_ couldn’t sleep, don’t worry Cassy. I was just pacing around, you go back to bed baby.”

 

“’Can’t,” the empathy muttered as she turned and headed to the bathroom, “Gotta go.”

 

“Okay.” Chuckling Eddie was glad that his girlfriend wasn’t even half awake. The symbiote rippled over him in small waves of living blackness before pulling back into the man as well as reshaping part of it’s self so Eddie was in boxers and a black t-shirt instead of a skin tight siut.

 

The toilet flushed and a few moments later Cassidy wandered back out into the kitchen/living room with another yawn. She spotted Eddie again and smiled as he came over to wrap an arm around her middle.

 

“Come on, lets go back to bed,” Eddie said and gave a mock-yawn himself, though it turned into something real, as yawns were so contagious. A happy murmur was all Cassidy was able to do, head on the man’s arm even before the back to the bed. Once there again, she flopped over Eddie gracelessly, her mind wanting to sleep again after the tiff she had the day before on the trip back from the graveyard. Having shielded her sister from a telepath’s sweeping touch that she sensed coming, and taking the brunt of the miscommunication garble. She also gave the telepath an empathic slap when he was rude enough to linger.

 

Brock stared in the dark at Cassidy, one arm wrapped firmly around her, smoothing fingers over skin in a simple pleasure. After a moment the man reached out to make sure Cayce was still in her spot between him and the wall the bed had been pushed to. She was, and had somehow managed to get all the pillows since Eddie, Venom, had left.

 

That was okay.

 

It was the perfect excuse to roll over and deepen the embrace and cuddle with the older woman. He still kept the House Rules in effect as he kissed the woman’s brown hair only. As Eddie drifted off himself for his own shorten need of sleep time, he didn’t notice a few black tendrils that formed and sneak in their own cuddle.


	7. Beware the viod of the mind

"Normal spoken dialog,"  
" ** _Vemon's spoken dialog,_** "  
:: _radio dialog,_ ::  
~ _Eddie's bonded dialog,_ ~  
~ **Vemon's** **bonded dialog,** ~  
- _Human telepathy dialog_ -

* * *

The coffee shop was busy to say the very least. The crowd was moving in the door to the counter and back out again as soon as they had their shot(s) of caffeine. Other people who weren't in a mad rush, sat back to watch the flow with clear amusement.

The baristas behind the counter seemed to be in a full blown sugar rush, or just high from sneaked espresso, running back and forth from the registers to the machines and back again. Ducking drinks other's had mad, others weaving out of the back room to serve hot, fresh muffins to those that ordered them.

"Double co-bend!"

"Nicky! We need some more blueberry muffins up here!"

"Coming up!"

"Alex, swap with me, quick!"

"ACK!"

"NICKY!"

"What?"

"The Soy foam is ALIVE!"

Needless to say, this was going to be a damn interesting day.

Eddie had only had a briefest of glimpses of his girlfriend as she literally ran past him, Cayce holding one of his fingers, with a blurted "Hey Eddie, can't talk the place is a mad house and I got a _massive_ headache- and could you watch Cayce for the rest of the day- and NICK! Where did you leave those damn banana Muffins?!" The woman demanded as she checked the racks of muffins set up, feeling the stress of the public. She wasn't kidding with the headache, and had a feeling she was going to have a full on migraine that night.

The tall man stooped to pick up the younger of the two McConnell sisters, the girl grabbing onto Brock's shirt to stay balanced. The man blinked and watched as Cassidy ran passed again this time holding two smaller trays of assorted muffins, the second thing this café was known for.

Wait, was that foam in her hair?

Shaking his head Eddie smiled down at Cayce, "Looks like we can go to the park after all kiddo."

"Yippy!" the girl beamed and hugged the man's neck as much in thanks as to stay securely in place, "Tank ya Eddie."

The man chuckled, "Thank you." He said, correcting her words out of his new habit, and glanced back at the mayhem and shook his head before going out the back door. Perhaps, if he had been paying better attention Eddie would have noticed how two people were eyeing him.

He did pause as the door closed, sniffing at the air. Cayce's childish babble blocked out for a moment as Brock tried to place a familiar scent. Not those of the muffins that Nick cooked, he was used to those. The smaller, odd, man was a great baker Eddie was finding out, getting to be a fellow taste tester with the girls was well worth putting up with the flirts from Nick.

Yet this other sent was something that had his other stir awake and back to the surface. It was growling lowly in the back of Eddie's mind as it tried to place the bitter-sweet scent. Metal tangy, and blood sweat to the symbiote, as well as it being linked to memory of pain.

In other words it drudged up memories of New York... so much so that Eddie reflexively held Cayce closer, protectively holding one hand and arm over her as he turned to eye the coffee shop.

"What's wrong?" Cayce asked, watching Eddie's face intently.

"I'm not sure," The man said honestly to the perceptive child. He, along with Cassidy were starting to suspect that the young girl was an empath as well. "Something just smells off. Or, feels off." He added, shifting the girl as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

He didn't get far, not even out of the parking lot, when it happened, Brock's other picking up the warble in the subtle emptic field. There was almost no warning when it happened, when that field just... snapped.

Inside, one minute Cassidy was turning a smile on the rather gruff looking man and a red head that was almost two heads taller than her stocky complain. The next thing the mutant knew she was clutching her head as lances of red hot pain seem to be stabbing at her mind.

"Cassy?!"

Dimly, Cassidy was aware of Alex dropping a cup onto the counter and rushing over. Somewhere someone was asking something about bagels a half a second before other voices blended together. Her own nails were digging into her scalp as she both clenched and bared her teeth. Despite the mounting mental agony, Cassidy knew it didn't look like anything as bad on the outside. At least to those that didn't know.

"Cassidy!" Alex insisted as she wrapped a supporting arm around her best friend.

"Is she alright?" The stocky man asked in concern, pausing his frown at something.

"Sir please move back…" Jack said as he came over from the far right of the count

"Hey Bub I-"

"Logan don't-" The red headed woman put a hand on her date's shoulder. They exchanged a look that seemed to be an unspoken discussion going on as the staff paused work to help their co-worker and friend.

"Nicky! Help!" Jack and Alex called as they guided Cassidy into the back, curios people trying to get a peek between the swinging doors that lead to the kitchen. Cassidy didn't know who had turned her around, away from the counter, thus making sure no one saw the orange shine that was forming over the empath's normally bright green eyes.

"Cassy? Come on, Cassidy, look at me." Alex put herself in front of the mutant once there was two closed doors behind them and the costumers. Reaching up the dark skinned woman put her hands on either side of her friend's head, over her own hands, trying to keep the other woman from hurting herself. She looked up to the two men, "Jack, go calm down the front, tell them she had a heat stroke or something. Cassidy, don't do this, come on sister you can keep the lid on…"

" _It hurts_ …" Cassidy got out, managing to look at her best friend for a moment before her eyes started to turn a solid, glowing orange. Her voice taking on an odd quality, almost but not quite echoing as she whispered, " _There too many...Too much...Oh god it hurts... it hurts…_ "

One of the doors to the main flour brushed open and two people came in. One a tall red haired woman and a shorter man, but there was no drought this guy could kick anyone's rear end anywhere and back again.

"Hey you can't be...!" Nicky started to stand up but couldn't without letting his friend drop to the ground, but it was Jack that moved to block the way.

"Nicky!" Alex called in rising panic that was both hers and not hers. "Nicky it's starting! She can't control it!"

The woman rushed forward, elbowing her way closer to the younger woman that was half collapsed. Reaching out she put her hands on either side of Cassidy's face, fingers on her temples. She didn't seem to have notice the others surging forward and latching onto their friend.

The older man, Logan, blinked as 'Nicky' dropped to his knees, wrapping his slim arms around the mutant's chest and pressing his head against the back of her neck. At the same time the other Barista did the same but from the front. Both tensing up, knowing perfectly well that they were about to get the full force of an empathic attack and in a show of pure loyalty, both were more than ready to do so in order to keep the secret of their friend's mutation.

_It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts oh god why does it HURT?!_

- _Cassidy!_ -

The empath 'looked' up as she felt another mind that most defiantly wasn't her sister come dangerously close. The figure was in the metal plain, not just a distinctive patterns of colors and emotions that each person had. But an actual figure, a _person_... on the mental field. Cassidy jerked back from that other person instinctively.

- _Cassidy, my name is Jean, let me help you._ -

Hearing a voice was so different than seeing an emotion….Cassidy just stared as everything blended together and warped to her.

All at once, _everything_ , images, memory, pain, and both familiar and alien emotions plunged into a complete and utter darkness…A void that she had seen only twice before, and just as before the woman was found herself looking down into it.

She was balancing at the very edge of oblivion. If she fell it would trigger a self-destruction that would not only claim her life but any of those who were around her at the time.

Cassidy screamed into the mental scape, but not aloud, the sound being swallowed up in memories. As in the real world she slumped into a needed faint, escaping the outside world as her mind coped with putting up mental shields after letting them slip.

Time of course had no meaning in this state, where she unaware of being check by a paramedic. Dubbed that it was a heatstroke that had downed her. Nor was she truly conscious when 'roused' and with the help of Jack and Eddie, taken home to the more isolated warehouse district to truly recover.

It was the next day that she really came back to awareness, and the warmth of a small body lying next to her was the first thing Cassidy was aware of. The woman drifted on that fine line that separated sleep from wakefulness for a time. She didn't want to wake up, but didn't quite want to go back into the blackness of sleep either. In this state she could still feel the blend of emotions that signaled that her baby sister was with her.

Her _baby_ sister...

Slowly, she drifted back into the depths of her own mind, yet not nearly as deep. Only far enough to fall into a half dream, half memory of years ago, when both Cassidy and Cayce's parents were alive. When her father was there to help explain empathic powers that in some ways she was still learning.

Cassidy was six, maybe even seven years younger, leaning on her father's broad chest, existed from a day in downtown LA, listening to him sing some old Eagles song as her mother gently rocked Cayce into sleep. Cassidy's own green eyes were slowly closing as she turned her empathy to blend with her family as they enjoyed the evening together.

"Cassidy?" A slightly deep, male voice asked. Not from the dream but the real world.

The empath blinked her eyes open to stare into a set of blue ones. For a long time she just stared, still half in her pleasant dream. She was about to go back to said dream when she suddenly realized who she was looking at. Not aware of how week she felt, Cassidy shifted slightly to reach out.

She smiled when the man took her hand in his. "Eddie…"

"Shhh, we're here our love. We won't let anything hurt you." Broke said softly, and brushed a lock of light brown hair out of the woman's face, "Rest."

Cassidy was more than willing to obey, but just as she was about to drop fully into actual sleep again, she was able to pick up on _two_ separate readings, emotional imprints, that meant two minds... from the man.


	8. Chapter 8

"Normal spoken dialog,"  
" ** _Vemon's spoken dialog,_** "  
:: _radio dialog,_ ::  
~ _Eddie's bonded dialog,_ ~  
~ **Vemon's** **bonded dialog,** ~  
- _Human telepathy dialog_ -

Jean Grey, a tall, slender, red head woman paused on the sidewalk as she sensed her companion. The woman raised a hand to pinch the bridge of her nose before sending out a semi-long range sweep of her telepathic gifts, easily pinpoint ting Logan.

It really didn't surprise her that the shorter man had tagged along despite her telling him not to. She knew that she, alone, would be less threatening then both her and Logan, or just Logan…The man didn't always have the best people skills. Add to that the mutant she helped a week ago was apparently with the man that hosted the alien Venom symbiot, but an empath.

The woman understood Logan's distrust, he having gone up against Venom a few times, but that same distrust and hostility would easily be picked up by the empath now that she recovered. Jean mused over the differences between 'normal' telepaths such as herself and her mentor, and empaths like this Cassidy McConnell. Both women had gifts that dealt with the mind, though it was… It was like two dialects of a language, the separate dialects having some similarities but again: different.

Telepaths have it easier the tall woman thought, she knew that really. Jean could hear and see words and images of others (granted sometimes it was completely unintentional like when she was just starting out). Cassidy, from what she could tell, saw emotions in 'colors,' a complicated mix and bled that Jean could only blink at. Even the memories from their brief contact had her puzzling.

Jean shook her head before focusing on Logan again and linked with his mind, it was a minor strand of thought. - _If you're insisting on fallowing at least don't get closer than where I'm at...here. Even if she does recognize you, the woman wi if you get within range.-_

 _-I don't like.-_ She picked up on the rough mental voice of Logan, and she could imagine the man stuffing his fists into the pockets of his leather jacket as he narrowed his eyes at her back. ("You know you know someone too well when…") _-Venom ain't someone ya take lightly Jean.-_

 _-I know,-_ Jean was careful not to project the echo of her rolling her eyes through the small link, - _But Eddie also didn't recognized you. He was too worried over Cassidy I think.-_

 _-I don't like it.-_ Logan repeated and somehow managed a metal growl that Jean had never heard anyone else come close to doing. Only Logan…

 _-Trust me Logan,-_ Jean sent adding her metal equivalent of a pout as she stopped at a cross walk. The woman smiled as she picked up on lower, grumbling thoughts and knew the grumbles were verbal as well.

She loved being a woman, and the fact that she knew how to get on Logan's softer side where he couldn't say no. Jubilee had that ability as well... or rather exiled at that talent to the point of being the only on that could get some of Logan's homemade chill. A recipe that was likely, literally, two hundred years old.

The light changed and Jean started off, moving the metal link into a 'stand by' like state, it joined the lower levels in her thoughts. It took almost another block into the warehouse and storehouse districted for the woman to realize that her steps were much lighter than normal. Even a bit of a bounce to them as she laced her fingers behind her back.

Jean was in a really good mood, better than this morning. Better than fifteen minutes ago…

Ah, empath vs. telepath again. Jean could pick up on projections easier than normal humans and mutants so she was being effected by the empath's projected field. Jean knew that she was reflecting Cassidy's mood, probable everyone nearby would be…But the woman didn't mind.

Who would?

It was quite pleasant.

Maybe she should get Logan to come a bit closer…Jean wondered if this would help his general mood…

The woman stopped short of her intended door to knock on as she _quite unwillingly_ picked up on two ( _three_? Oh right the symbiot) minds and what was going on in the apartment above the warehouse. Without hesitation, or braking her stride or pose, Jean spun on her right heal and came back the way she came.

Face flushed, Jena remembered one of the larger drawbacks of being a telepath. She was well past here adolescent years, but it made it no less embarrassing when she inadvertently stumbled on a couple.

 _So much for the House Rules,_ Jean thought, though she didn't know where she picked that up from.

* * *

 

"Look Nicky, it's Cass!"

"Casssssiiii!"

"ACK!" Cassidy rolled her eyes from where she had been tackled by her two best friends before fiercely hugging Alex and Nick back and openly showing her emotions of how glad she was that they were okay and well. "Alright get off me! Only sissy can keep up the clingy-ness and I want to get back to work,"

Alex rolled her eyes and blew some of her thinly braided hair out of her face. "You are impossible. You have a metal earthquake, you have a hang over and you get right back into work without taking advantage of paid sick leave."

"Apparently we didn't train each other right." Nick laughed as he got up first and helped his friends up. "Oh, by the way Cass, your savior is here."

"What?" Cassidy quirked an eyebrow up as she brushed herself off, partly wondering when the floor got a coat of flower. On second thought she didn't want to know, she knew the chaos that this place had even before it officially opened. More so those wee hours of the morning when Nick was up baking most of the goods for the first rush.

"That Dr. Grey, Um, Miss Jean I think she said her name was." Alex jerked her thumb at the closed doors that led to the part of the coffee house that hosted the customers.

Cassidy hesitated, looking at the closed doors warily and suddenly wished Eddie hadn't left to pick up her sister already.

"I think its okay," Nick said seeing his friend's look as well as picking up echoes of her feelings. Having lived around the empath for well over ten years he and Alex both knew how to pick up on things.

"But she knows…"

"Yeah and you have a horrible memory after those metal 'quakes." Alex lightly thrwhapped Cassidy in the side of the head, "That's _Dr. Jean Grey_ …! The lady who's been helping... you know, in the white house or what not."

"Congress," Nick corrected and ducked a harder whack.

"Same difference," the Jamaican descendant snorted.

"Either way," the young man said, rubbing his arm where he hadn't gotten out of the way of Alex's smack, "I think she wants to talk. She does advocates for mutate rights you know."

"Well it'll have to wait for brake and after the regulars get done fusing." Cassidy sighed, knowing what was coming as she pulled on her apron. She also didn't want to be known as a mutant, publicly that is, as her friends knew, but were respectful of her privacy to not talk about it around strangers.

"I saw her with the new Dean Koonz book." Nick chuckled, "She seemed pretty into it."

Cassidy smiled and stretched, some of her joins popping as she did so. "Okay, let the mobbing from the regulars commence and get it over with."

* * *

 

"Curser sized iced mocha."

Jean blinked and pulled herself from the intensity of her book that had been surprisingly good at drawing the reader (her) into it. The red head woman looked up at the drink that was being offered to her, and then looked beyond it to who was holding the clear plastic cup.

Cassidy smiled and blew some of her light brown bangs out of her face and smiled, "Mind if I sit?" she tilted her head at the empty chair across from the taller woman.

"No, not at all," Jean slipped a clean napkin into her book as an improvised page marker. "Thank you." She added as she accepted the offered ice coffee.

"No problem." Cassidy smiled as she stirred her own drink, making the ice clink against each other. "Hey, um...Thanks about before." Green eyes looked up from the cup in hand, "I didn't want to hurt anyone…"

"But sometimes it's hard to control it." Jean smiled warmly and with complete understanding, "I know, I've had some slip ups with my own gifts."

Cassidy glanced around but there was hardly anyone in the coffee shop at the time being. "So I guess that means you know…"

"Its okay," The telepath reassured as she took a sip of her drink, "No one else knows that didn't."

Cassidy shifted and decided to go with the old, classic McConnell blunt tactic. "What do you want? Jacky and Alex said you wanted to talk and I can tell you want something." She frowned.

"I just wanted to make sure you were alright." Jean smiled but paused as she saw the look was getting.

"No offence Dr. Grey," Cassidy frowned, "But just because I'm not a telepath doesn't mean I can't read people. You're use to shielding your thoughts I'm guessing, but not your emotions. And those are _my_ specialty." The younger woman leaned back and crossed her arms.

Jean had to think about that for a minute and decided that Cassidy not only had a point but was also right. She did have the advantage of being able to 'decode' straight emotions.

Best to be truthful!

"I represent a school that specializes in helping people like you and I, those with gifts." Jean started.

"You mean mutants." Alex said coming up to the two, she brushed her tight braids out of her face and crossed her arms.

Jean blinked and looked quickly at the only other, elderly, woman on the other side of the room.

"Don't worry, Kathy has her hearing aid out, and she can barely hear with it." Alex said shifting into a hip shot. "So what about this school thing?"

"We're long out of high school and doing just fine in collage." Cassidy was still frowning.

"Education is only part of it," Jean said, "We also help others master their gifts."

"And…?" Both Alex and Cassidy prompted at the same time, glancing at one another before returning their gazes to the telepath.

Jean pulled a card out from her pocket and handed it to Cassidy, "If you ever need any help, or would like to enroll you sister where she can be safe-"

"Casey is safe." Cassidy narrowed her eyes as a few alarm bells went off in the back of her mind and a spike of protectiveness was projected.

The red head lifted her hands up, "If you want to or not. You can email the address on the card for more information." Jean stood up, knowing that she was going to have to go about this slowly. "I have to meet someone, just think it over." She smiled and left.

"...you got the impression that she was the kid in school that got just about all the boys and everything else?" Alex asked as she picked up the iced mocha that was left behind. "Cass, you're projecting a lot." She added.

"Huh?" Cassidy blinked as she looked up from almost glaring at the card in her hand. She didn't like the idea of someone thinking she couldn't take care of and protect her little sister. Empathic treats, according to her father, ran in her family bloodline. "Sorry Alex," She took a few deep breaths and calmed herself down as well as smooth out the atmosphere that she had been unknowingly mixing it up.

"I know what you need!" Alex said pulling her friend up, "One of Nick's muffins and me too watch Casey again."

Cassidy tilted her head as she picked up the plotting mood of her friend. "Why…?"

"Because ya need a night with Eddie!" Alex giggled, "And brake those House Rules."

"We kind of already did…"

"I mean _again._ " Alex sighed and slapped her friend upside the head as they moved back behind the counter before the next group of people came in.

"Oh…" Cassidy blinked, and then blushed a bit, "Ooohh..."

"That's my girl!"

Who would know the next night would lead to an alien symbiote named Venom?


End file.
